Ice Song
by satscout
Summary: Sequel to Silence. Forget the King's Seal: Kusaka Sojirou is after something better - Hyourinmaru's mate. After all, he has Hyourinmaru, or does he? HitsugayaXOC.
1. Contentedness, Broken

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

Hitsugaya Toshiro had a lazy smile on his face as he took his time walking to the Fourth Division.

Today he had something special in mind. He was planning on picking up Sharon from training and heading down to their special place near his "thinking tree"… first a picnic lunch, then –

His reverie was shattered by a screech. Three shinigami appeared out of nowhere, two supporting their fallen comrade, who had taken a wicked slash down his side and into his right thigh. _They better have gotten the Hollow that did _that. Hitsugaya shuddered briefly. A team rushed out from the Fourth's clinic and took over. He was startled to see Sharon among them. He hadn't seen her actually doing healing; he took Unohana's word for it that she was getting along well. Evidently triage was a part of her training; he watched as she did a quick assessment, then used kido to stop the blood flow and stabilize the injured man for transport. He nodded. She was learning fast. _Damn it. There goes lunch. She'll be a while with that one._ He sighed and sat.

_:What's that she always says? "The best laid plans of mice and men…": _Hyourinmaru intoned in the back of Hitsugaya's mind. _Heh. "Go oft astray", or something like that. English poetry or some such. What, is this spoiling _your_ plans as well, partner?_ As if Hyourinmaru didn't have a vested interest. Whenever he had managed to get Sharon on a date, their dragons always seemed to sneak off on their own. Heh. Hyourinmaru would just have to wait. He had waited a long time before he met his mate, a few more hours wouldn't make that much of a difference – and they had a very long lifetime ahead of them here.

A few months. Only a few months ago his world had turned upside down. His zanpakutou had found himself a mate. A partner. A second half. A companion. And with that female dragon had come a female human. Of course things had originally been complicated by the fact that she was living, and married, and a mother – but she _had_ died and legitimately come to Soul Society, and they were together. Except that by the way things had turned out, she had retained much of her memory of her time among the living, and she was understandably reluctant to jump into a "relationship". That meant that she wasn't living in his quarters (much to his annoyance). She insisted that they take it slow – they had all the time in the world to grow a relationship properly, and she needed to concentrate on adapting to Soul Society anyway.

Things weren't simple, of course. She had been flung into Soul Society with a zanpakutou, so it didn't seem proper to make her stay in Rukongai. But she wasn't really a shinigami either, and her zanpakutou, Oshidamaru, had refused to take sword form. So it was difficult to find her a niche within Seireitei. Fortunately, she had been partially trained in medicine while among the living, and Unohana had agreed to see to kido training and placement. She was great at kido techniques but sucked at combat – _all_ combat – and weapons training had been pretty useless. If she eventually _were_ to become a shinigami, the Fourth Division would be her placement anyway.

Hitsugaya leaned back with his hands behind his head. _Might as well wait it out here as anywhere._ He had already told Matsumoto he was taking the afternoon off and not to bother him unless it were a true emergency (and running out of sake didn't count). She had shot him a dirty look before she realized just what her taichou taking the afternoon off really meant, and then she smiled that knowing smile she got whenever she figured Sharon was involved. He just shook his head at her and smiled back. He really had been more companionable ever since Sharon had come into his life.

Soul Society hadn't been calm of course – everyone in the Gotei 13 had been shocked when Amagai Shusuke had turned out to be a revenge-seeking troublemaker bent on murdering the Sou-Taichou instead of the easygoing shinigami he appeared to be. And suspicions were running high. Anyone who was not a part of the long established structure of Soul Society – anything and anybody new or different – was not really trusted. And who could blame them? Between Amagai and the Aizen betrayal, "trust" was a hard-won commodity these days. So outside the Fourth and Tenth Divisions, Sharon was looked upon with suspicion and fear. Anyone who had a clue about where she had come from who didn't know her well was afraid of her dragon; most simply didn't care for her dry wit and her uncanny resemblance to Abarai Renji when her hair got out of control. She had finally started telling people that if her hair were to behave properly, she'd look a lot more like Nanao-san without the bang and could you please shut up about it! It wasn't her fault her hair was red…

* * *

The nicest thing about having supper in, in Hitsugaya's opinion, was being able to relax afterwards. Unless something dramatic had just happened.

"So what sent all those people my way today?" Sharon asked. "I understand it had something to do with one of those noble families… Cassie-something?"

"Kasumi-Ooji. It's been resolved. You don't need to worry about it." They were snuggled up on a couch in his quarters. She liked resting her head on his shoulder, and since she was so much taller than he was, even now, the only way they could do that is if they were reclining.

Sharon wrapped her arm about his waist. "But they said Amagai-taichou died. What happened?"

_Just like her to press the issue until I explain everything to satisfy her curiosity._ Hitsugaya sighed. "There were two issues going on that turned out to be related. Apparently for years there has been a conspiracy going on within the caretakers of the Kasumi-Ooji family, including assassination attempts against the heir, Lurichiyo-dono – " At this Sharon let out a quiet gasp. "– and the construction of a forbidden type of sword that basically eats the reiatsu of the user."

"Wouldn't that eventually consume the person using the sword? And what happens to the reiatsu that gets collected?"

Hitsugaya didn't want to get into the other side of that issue. "On the other side was Amagai – that's not his real name, by the way – who had a desire for revenge against the Sou-Taichou for killing his father."

"He did what? Did he have proof?" Sharon twisted around to look Hitsugaya in the face.

"Yamamoto-taichou freely admitted that he had done it, in front of us all who were present. But what Amagai didn't know is that Yamamoto had tried several years ago to investigate the Kasumi-Ooji operation but was forbidden to do so by the Central 46. Amagai's father volunteered to go undercover, but in the process was used as a test subject for one of the swords. When he and the sword got out of control, Yamamoto had to kill him."

"So how did that end up getting Amagai killed?"

"Amagai got involved with the Kasumi-Ooji clan leader in charge of the swords and collected the reaitsu-collectors, linking them with his zanpakutou. He would have killed Yamamoto except for Kurosaki beating at him."

"Kurosaki? You mean Kurosaki Ichigo? Rukia's friend? I thought he lived in the real world."

Hitsugaya sighed again. More explanations. "He does. He met Lurichiyo-dono when her guardians tried to hide her in the real world to avoid the assassins, and eventually became her friend and protector. Amagai would have destroyed the Kasumi-Oojis and everything else to fulfill his desire for revenge – and a part of his plan was to use the reiatsu-absorbing ability to prevent Yamamoto or anyone else from using their reiatsu to fight against him. But Kurosaki isn't limited by that when he uses his Hollow form. He just kept fighting and trying to beat some sense into Amagai. When we arrived and told him the rest of the story – why Yamamoto really killed his father – he finally realized the stupidity of what he was doing and suicided."

Sharon was silent for a moment, snuggling closer to his shoulder. "And an awful lot of people got hurt in the process, didn't they." She paused. "Just like that Aizen character. Only he hasn't seen the stupid side of what he's doing yet." He could feel her jaw clench for a minute. "He's the one that hurt your friend, didn't he? Hinamori-san? Screwed up her mind really good. All because he wants to be able to bypass protocol and figure out how to combine reiatsu use and Hollow powers. Mayuri-san tried to explain it to me once – how one such failed experiment a long time ago resulted in Urahara-san and a bunch of high ranking officers fleeing for the real world because they got turned part Hollow – 'visoreds' or something like that. And then Urahara tried to hide the device he was using to do it, but Aizen turned Soul Society upside down and nearly got Rukia killed to get it – and now he's trying the other side, taking Hollows and giving them more power to try to combine things from that end." She shook her head in resignation. "He's so screwed up it isn't funny, and an awful lot of people are _still_ getting hurt in the process."

Hitsugaya just started running his fingers through her hair, gently loosening the band holding it in place. "Why think about that now?" He kissed her gently. "I can think of much better things than that." She smiled, and kissed him back.

* * *

Hitsugaya shook himself awake. He had drifted off, daydreaming about running his fingers through that red hair of hers, and the lazy smile was back. He had all kinds of ideas, if she were willing to go along with it. Maybe a late lunch, a spread blanket under the tree…

"And what, pray tell, are you looking so smug about?" Sharon had snuck up behind him and caught the upcurl of his lip. She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss.

"You, of course." Hitsugaya reached up and pulled her down for something more involved than that.

"Stop it! Not here in public!" She pushed him away, but she was grinning widely. He couldn't help wondering just how much she had gone through before, that she could take so much joy in the simplest of loving gestures. But there she was. Everything he did seemed to evoke pleasure in her – a smile, a touch, a kiss, an embrace. She treasured it all, and usually responded enthusiastically.

"Sorry I'm late. Hanatarou-san was showing me how to close that slash wound so that he wouldn't lose function when he healed. If I had tried to close it up wrong or too tight, he would lose part of the thigh muscle due to compartment syndrome." Hitsugaya just got that lightly glazed look he wore whenever she started talking in medical terms. It was usually enough that she got the hint. "Anyway. So what's for lunch? I'm simply _starved_." He pointed to the basket next to them. "I know you're not a fan of rice, so I found you some lo mein," – her eyes glowed at this – "and some of that Coca-Cola you're always on about. It's become quite popular for some reason." _And she probably doesn't realize that its popularity and availability had a lot to do with the fact that _she_ liked it, and therefore people were curious and wanted to try it. And it turns out lots of people _like_ it and there is a strong market for it._ It didn't matter. Even something as simple as this brought about that smile he lived for.

Just then a Hell Butterfly came with a message. "Hitsugaya-taichou. Please report immediately to the Sou-Taichou for a conference. If Sharon-san is with you, please bring her. This is an urgent matter." _Shit. Just when things were looking good._ Hitsugaya's eyebrows resumed their usual crease and his eyes narrowed. This didn't sound good.

Sharon let out a long sigh. "I guess lunch will have to wait, then." She looked longingly at the basket. "I'll just take the Coke and drink it on the way." She snagged the bottle from the basket and took a long swig. "Ah. That helps a bit. What do you think Yamamoto-dono wants?"

Hitsugaya shrugged. Who ever knew? "Not to be kept waiting. Let's go."

* * *

AN: Don't be surprised if it takes me a while to put this story up. The first chapter's the only one anywhere near ready yet. But yeah, life just goes downhill from here.

Hitsugaya: What exactly are you getting me into this time?

Satscout: A lotta angst and some much needed resolution (I hope) before it's all over.

Hitsugaya (complete with bulging forehead vein): This had better damn well be worth it...

Satscout: And look what you came out of the last story with as a reward.

Hitsugaya (calming, with sly smile forming around the corner of his lip): Accepted. For now.


	2. To Subdue A Dragon

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

They weren't kept waiting long.

Hitsugaya was never _quite_ sure how annoyed Yamamoto was when he had that look on his face. At least a part of it, if he were, would be due to the fact that because Sharon wasn't a shinigami – yet – he couldn't just _command_ her and expect her to obey. That included commands transmitted by Hell Butterfly. "If Sharon-san is with you" indeed. It must have galled for him to put it that way.

"I will be blunt," Yamamoto began. "Oshidamaru is a zanpakutou. She must be brought to take physical form that Sharon can wield, and Sharon must be officially brought into the ranks of the shinigami. Her presence is causing disruption and unrest. Sharon may be a healer, but Oshidamaru is not."

Sharon shot Hitsugaya a look that said _I knew it, they're kicking me out_ then one that said _maybe I should have moved in with you while I had the chance_ before taking a deep breath. "With all due respect, I haven't made a habit of back-talking dragons."

One white eyebrow raised, and Yamamoto peered out at her, expecting her to go on.

"I mean, why now? How come this is all of a sudden an issue, when before you all were perfectly content to let me be over with Unohana-sensei? I'm not hurting anybody here, and I like to think I'm doing some good where I am."

Hitsugaya cringed inwardly, though his face kept a carefully schooled expression. _She doesn't realize that nobody _ever_ addresses Sou-Taichou like that, nobody gets away with questioning his orders, and nobody but _nobody_ questions his judgment. Not without getting punished anyway._

"You should know. Did you not just come from cleaning up the aftereffects?"

Sharon tilted her head, with a quizzical look on her face. "I'm not sure I understand. Hanatarou-san was showing me how to repair a slash wound properly. We had just finished when your summons came."

Yamamoto's eyes narrowed. "And you were unaware that you were the cause? Surely he would have mentioned how he got injured."

"With all due respect, the patient was in no condition to give much history. His, um, friends dropped him and left, and we made the gross assumption that his injury was sustained in battle with some Hollow." Sharon folded her hands in front of her. "He'll be fine, but he won't be fighting anyone for a while. You mean to tell me he was fighting over _me_? Remind me to give him a gentle piece of my mind when he wakes up."

Hitsugaya's face burned red. Silently, he begged her to stop while she was ahead. Or at least not quite so far behind.

"You won't be there. He was not fighting over you per se; he got in an argument with one of those who believe you have no right to be living among the shinigami and sharing their privileges without bearing their responsibilities. I don't appreciate my officers wasting their time and energy in useless squabbling when there are far more serious issues at hand." Yamamoto turned to Hitsugaya with a stern glare.

"Hitsugaya-taichou, your new orders are to take whatever steps necessary to compel Oshidamaru to take the form of a normal zanpakutou. Until this is accomplished, you and Sharon are both restricted to the Tenth Division. This has already been discussed with Unohana-taichou." He shot a hard glance at Sharon. "Your healing training is hereby suspended until you can be officially entered into the Fourth Division as a full shinigami." Yamamoto's eyes narrowed again as he turned his gaze back on Hitsugaya. "This is not a vacation and not a honeymoon. This is an assignment and you both need to treat it as such. Your progress will be monitored, and you will not be permitted to leave the Tenth Division until you can demonstrate Oshidamaru's physical form to the satisfaction of a taichou. In the meantime, the administrative duties of the Tenth Division will be handled by Matsumoto-fukutaichou – " At this, Hitsugaya inwardly groaned, wondering if he had hid her sake stash thoroughly enough. "– and you will keep written record of what tactics and techniques you use to attempt to gain control of Oshidamaru. Such a thing has not been heard of in all recorded shinigami history, and it will need proper documentation." _Great. Just when I thought I was getting out of paperwork._

"One more thing. I saw with my own eyes that she can take a weapon form when she wants to. What was that called, that weapon you held against Ichimaru Gin, that pole with a blade on the end?"

Sharon looked blankly at him. She was stuck on the name Ichimaru Gin. "Who? You mean Botox?"

"Botox?"

"Yeah. The fellow whose face looks all stretched out over his skull, like he's been all shot up with Botox and he has that plastic kind of look? The one who insulted my son?" Sharon's face was now hard.

"Ichimaru Gin _was_ a taichou within the Gotei 13 and _is_ a traitor in Hueco Mundo. I don't know what this 'Botox' is, but you have described his look accurately enough. I asked you a question, young lady."

"You mean the glaive? That wasn't my idea, nor Oshidamaru's, really. She was just copying an anime character. She kind of had a life of her own long before I knew she was there, and the glaive was a part of it." Sharon shrugged. Hitsugaya closed his eyes. They would have plenty of time together now – and he would use the first part of it to explain what _not_ to say and do in front of Yamamoto. "She decided what she wanted to do and she did it. Just like when Shellhead was messing with my head and she decided to toast his little creatures. They said I looked like a dragon. It suited her to take that form. Then Botox – Gin? – decided I would be at home in this Hueco Mundo place and took us there. But the dragon form didn't work so well, and she decided to go slice. I can't aim worth a damn. She did all the work. Got off a few good shots, too. Shame we didn't hit him." Her eyes took on a look of grim satisfaction. "After a while, something must have hit, though, because there was this slice across, and the next thing I knew, I was under a tree in a really nice place. A lot nicer than the one I was in, anyway. Then I saw Toshiro, even though I didn't remember him properly yet, and the rest you know." She shrugged again. "It never occurred to me that she shouldn't do whatever she damn well pleases. I trust her judgment."

"You really don't understand the situation here," Yamamoto intoned. "This is not a request. This is an order. You _will_ subdue Oshidamaru. You _will_ compel her to take physical form suitable for a zanpakutou. You _will_ complete the training necessary to become a full shinigami. This is not up for discussion. If you fail, you _will_ be compelled to leave Seireitei. Hitsugaya, you will be held personally responsible if this fails."

That shook his composure. In other words, both his professional and his personal life hinged on the whim of a dragon, one whom a few months ago he hadn't even known existed and who clearly had a mind of her own. As if dragons hadn't caused enough trouble in his life.

"Hai. Understood. Sharon?" He turned as if dismissed, as they clearly were. She paused and shot Yamamoto one last enigmatic look before they left.

* * *

They were escorted back to the Tenth Division. _They can't even trust us enough to walk home._ Hitsugaya stopped by his office long enough to pick up writing materials.

"Taichou," Matsumoto said sadly. Hitsugaya rested his hand on his desk a moment. His eyes were closed. "You know where to find me. I don't know how long this will take. I do know we will find a way." He looked at her with grim determination. "I'm not going to lose her."

"Hai." She allowed a small smile as they were escorted away.

* * *

AN: I was afraid this chapter would take more cleaning than it did. It got up a lot faster than I thought. #3 might be up in the next few days if all goes well. #4 and beyond.... well...... need more work.

Hitsugaya: What in the hell are you thinking? Making _me_ personally responsible for the decisions of a _dragon_?

Satscout (innocently): So Yamamoto's upset. As if he hasn't been upset before.

Hitsugaya: Why do I have a feeling this is going to get _much_ worse before it gets any better?


	3. To Be, And To Be

* * *

Chapter 3

* * *

Hitsugaya took a deep breath as he and Sharon crossed the threshold into his quarters. He was not entirely surprised to see Sharon's things in a pile in the corner. _He doesn't lose any time, does he? Even while we were meeting, she was dumped here._ A part of him didn't mind – the end goal was to have her move in with him, after all – but he resented that they couldn't have done this in their own way, in their own time.

Before he could say it, Sharon said "I am so sorry about this." He reached out to her, and she relaxed into his arms. Even his growth spurt before she came to Soul Society had merely narrowed the gap in their heights, and he was still at least six inches shorter than she was. He laid his head on her shoulder for a few minutes until she was ready to release him.

Her eyes were moist when she pulled back. "What now?" she asked. Hitsugaya ran his hand distractedly through his hair. "We think of a way to approach the problem. But first, put away your things. It looks like you'll be staying a while."

Sharon simply nodded. She went to put her things away in the bedroom. At least they would be able to sleep together – even if if didn't involve sex, and it probably wouldn't while they were working on things – and that was one small bonus Hitsugaya didn't mind one bit. Often at night he found himself with a curious ache in his middle that had less to do with wanting sex and more to do with wanting to be in her arms, a loneliness he hadn't had a name for until he met her. They had only had that particular experience once, in tandem with Hyourinmaru and Oshidamaru, and he hoped at some point to see what it meant to be her partner without his dragon's help.

Hitsugaya shook himself out of his reverie and pulled out his blade, then sat cross-legged in the living area with it across his lap. Sharon joined him, sitting to his right, and gently placed her hand across Hyourinmaru's hilt. He nodded, and they both closed their eyes.

* * *

_:So it comes to this.:_ Hyourinmaru intoned. Hitsugaya and Sharon found themselves in a strangely _not_ cold depression – it was too small to really call it a cave – near the plain of ice Hitsugaya recognized instantly. Hitsugaya gazed over the coiled length of Hyourinmaru, glistening blue-green in the diffuse not-quite-sunlight that filled this place. He couldn't help feeling affection for his long time partner. "Yes, it does, I'm afraid. We could use your insight. What do you think of what Sou-Taichou had to say?"

_:__In many ways he is wise. In many ways he is a fool. I respect his authority, but this is no small task he has set.:_ At this, Hitsugaya blinked. Why was this so difficult even for Hyourinmaru? _:It is unwise to force a dragon. You ought to know that well.:_

Sharon tilted her head to the side. "I heard him, but what I think he said didn't make a lick of sense. I could have sworn he said that _you_ know that it is unwise to force a dragon?"

_:There is something you need to remember and something she needs to see.:_ Hyourinmaru opened wide their minds, and Hitsugaya and Sharon realized he was showing them a particular memory – a memory of when Hitsugaya had claimed his precious zanpakutou.

* * *

It came in a rush of images. They were together in the cave. They were seeking – and then the plain of ice again, just as he had seen it before joining the Spiritual Arts Academy, the time Matsumoto found him before he could freeze old Granny with his out of control reiatsu.

_What do you seek? Are you the one who's going to wield me, boy?_

Hitsugaya remembered. He would never forget that moment. But it was very different, "seeing" things from Hyourinmaru's point of view.

"I'm going to protect…"

"That's right!"

_What the hell was that?_ Hitsugaya thought.

"There's someone I want to protect by borrowing this power."

"Yes! Yes! Obey me!"

_Oh no. It can't be._

"That's all this is… I want to protect!"

"I will wield your power!"

_I can't believe this. I can't believe that's how it happened. I can't believe Sharon is seeing this._

A schism. A blurring. One Hyourinmaru became two, light and dark, ice and shadow. To one, the power to protect. To the other, the power to compel. One Hyourinmaru but two at the same time.

"What a coincidence. I'm really happy we were able to obtain the same power."

Hitsugaya hadn't wanted to remember. He didn't want to remember what happened next. But the images kept coming.

"He's my friend! I don't want to fight him!" The Central 46. He remembered, now, how they objected to his best friend sharing his zanpakutou. "I will abandon Hyourinmaru!" The echoes from among the occupants of the Chamber. _Fight. Suitable personality. Fight. Appropriate ability. Fight. Hyourinmaru is such a power. You should feel honored. Fight. Fight. Fight._

A single strike. He had rushed toward Hitsugaya, yelling "I want Hyourinmaru!" Hitsugaya had raised his sword in defense. One stroke. His friend was frozen. Then the Secret Mobile Corps with the pronouncement. "It has been decided that Hitsugaya Toshiro will be the wielder of Hyourinmaru."

_Stop. I don't want to see anymore. I don't want her to see _any_ of this._

"The fight's not over yet! Hyourinmaru is mine!" The Corps were holding Hitsugaya back while they finished killing his friend. "Wait a second! Give me another – " They stabbed and sliced him, Hitsugaya screaming protest. "Why do I… have to die?... I ... fought … for Soul Society…"

_STOP I said, I don't want to go through this again._

The Hitsugaya of memory was screaming. One Hyourinmaru-blade was dissolving, just like ice crystals in sunlight.

* * *

"Hyourinmaru." Sharon's voice cut through the onslaught. "Hyourinmaru!"

The flow of images slowed, then ceased. Hitsugaya was sobbing, cradled in Sharon's arms. She held him tight and let the racking grief flow.

Hyourinmaru's voice was nearly a whisper. _:You needed to know.:_ He winked out, and so did the plain of ice. They were back in Hitsugaya's living area.

"Come on, Toshiro. We might as well get some sleep." It was already dark outside. "We can deal with this tomorrow." Sharon looked at Hitsugaya steadily, her eyes filled with compassion.

"Yeah," he replied noncomittally. _I really don't want to deal with this, ever, but now I get to explain it all. Thanks _so_ much, Hyourinmaru._ His eyes had a lifeless expression.

Outside, a horizontal crack opened by Hitsugaya's window. A figure stepped out wearing a cloak and a mask. The man bore a sword whose hilt looked uncannily like Hyourinmaru's.

"Hitsugaya. At last."

* * *

AN: And if most of this chapter sounds really familiar, well, it's because the memories are derived from the flashback sequences in the DiamondDust Rebellion combined with the Drama CD account. So sue me. Copyright Kubo Tite. But it's important to see it from Hyourinmaru's point of view.

Hitsugaya: This is no less embarrassing than it was the first time. Why did you have me cry?

Satscout: Because that's the natural thing people DO when their friends die. And I know you have a heart.

Hitsugaya: Do I really want to know what you do to me in the next chapter?

Satscout: No.

Hitsugaya: ...


	4. Hurting, And To Hurt

* * *

Chapter 4

* * *

"He must have meant an awful lot to you."

Since the outburst the previous day, Hitsugaya had completely closed off. His face had lost all emotion except the stern businesslike mask he usually wore. No sign of grief or anything else but perhaps a mild annoyance crossed his face as he handed Sharon a bowl of rice.

"Breakfast. Thanks."

_Good. Maybe she won't press the issue._

"So what was his name?"

_Shit. So much for not pressing the issue._

"I promise, no flood of questions or anything. It's just that if he were really that important to you, I would like to know his name. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

_Not that Hyourinmaru left much out, after all. Damn that dragon._

"I really don't want to talk about this."

Sharon tilted her head to one side. "Does it hurt that much just to speak his name aloud?"

Hitsugaya's eyes were closed, teeth clenching, fists clenched while resting on the table, before he relaxed a bit and spoke. "He died a long time ago. It is no concern of yours."

A long moment of silence passed before Sharon said quietly, "If he was that precious to you, he is important to me too. I want to honor his memory."

Hitsugaya looked away and let another, longer moment of silence go by.

Sharon finished her rice and put the bowl in the sink. She stood there, looking down at her hands.

"You don't have to carry this burden all alone, you know."

More silence.

"If you don't want to talk to me about it, find somebody you _can_ talk to, that's all. I hate seeing you hurting like this."

Even more silence.

Sharon didn't even try to hide the concerned and hurt look on her face. She dressed in a pretty robe – Rangiku-san had called it a sora furosode, and it _did_ look like fluffy clouds scuffling across a blue sky – and came to look at Hitsugaya for a long moment.

"I'm going for a walk. Come get me when you're ready to try again. For Oshidamaru, I mean."

She walked out the door. A short moment later, Hitsugaya heard scuffling and Sharon yelling "Hands off, bastard!" He raced out in time to see one of those ominous horizontal cracks closing. But behind it, with Sharon in his arms – a figure that looked hauntingly familiar. A man who should have been, no, _was_ dead. Only he wore a mask, and Hitsugaya couldn't be certain of anything.

_Damn damn damn. Damn bastards. Damn Hueco Mundo bastards after her _again.

There was no time. He dressed rapidly and disappeared in pursuit.

* * *

Matsumoto looked up. Hitsugaya's reiatsu was gone. _Taichou?_ she thought. _Oh no. Sharon's gone too._ Not long after, a Hell Butterfly appeared with the summons. Sou-Taichou.

She found herself in an emergency meeting.

Soi Fon was concluding. "Our investigation of the circumstances surrounding Sharon's entry to Soul Society indicates that she may have been permitted to escape Hueco Mundo for the purpose of infiltration. She has now disappeared, and every indication is that she has returned. Until proven otherwise, we have to assume that she returned of her own volition and took Tenth Division Hitsugaya-taichou with her."

Matsumoto was shocked. "What evidence do you have? How could you come to that conclusion?"

"We have this." Soi Fon held up a white haori with the insignia of the Tenth on it. "This was found in Hitsugaya Toshiro's quarters this morning. After being given strict orders to subdue the dragon zanpakutou Oshidamaru and being confined to quarters, they have both disappeared from Soul Society without a trace. There is evidence that Hitsugaya deliberately removed his reiatsu from the scene to prevent tracking."

Matsumoto replied indignantly, "Are you implying that Hitsugaya-taichou abandoned his duty?"

"What other explanation is there?" Soi Fon shot back. "We have search teams out in Soul Society and the living world, and there is no sign of either of them. Hitsugaya has left behind his haori, which clearly states his intention to leave behind his position as taichou."

"Aren't we being a bit hasty here?" Unohana said mildly. "I have been working with Sharon since her arrival and have seen no evidence of this."

"And neither have I. She works hard. Hell, they _both_ work hard. I can't guess why he left the haori behind, but I _do_ know he must have had reason, and a damn good one." Matsumoto flashed a grateful glance at Unohana.

"Enough discussion." Yamamoto growled. "What is clear is that they are both gone, whether voluntarily or not, and their return is of the utmost priority. The search teams are to be issued new orders. When, not if, Hitsugaya Toshiro and his consort are found, they are to be returned to Soul Society immediately. If they resist, they are to be executed. Matsumoto Rangiku-fukutaichou is to assume command of the Tenth Division. This meeting is dismissed."

Matsumoto was still in shock when she returned to the Tenth's headquarters.

* * *

When Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Rukia came to find out what was going on, they got an abbreviated explanation of the situation from Matsumoto. "That's all they know," she sighed. "I can't understand why he left, but I know he would never abandon his duty. Something happened, something must have happened to Sharon, or he would have never left. But leaving his haori like that – I don't know what to think."

"What if he really did go to Hueco Mundo? How do they plan on looking for him?" Renji frowned. "The last time we went through this, they forbade us to go and we went anyway. Inoue Orihime had an ability Aizen wanted. Could there be something in Sharon he wants as well?"

"Who knows," Matsumoto sighed again. "Why does everybody have to leave me?"

"Hitsugaya-taichou isn't like Ichimaru!" Renji protested loudly.

"Renji!" Rukia admonished softly.

"It doesn't matter. He's gone. And we have no way of getting to him if he doesn't want to be found."

"There is one way," Rukia said thoughtfully. "But we may need a little help."

With raised eyebrow, Matsumoto looked questioningly at her. "Please do what you can." There was concern in Matsumoto's eyes.

Rukia nodded briefly and flashed her a small smile before she and Renji left.

* * *

A cloaked figure stood outside the Urahara Shop, as if he were wondering whether to go in.

Urahara Kisuke gazed out from under the brim of his floppy hat. "You might as well come in. I can guess why you are here, Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Just Hitsugaya," was all he said as he followed Urahara into the shop.

* * *

Hitsugaya: *eye twitching*

Satscout: What?

Hitsugaya: You're stealing too much.

Satscout: What? *looks innocent*

Hitsugaya: From _The DiamondDust Rebellion_.

Satscout: Inspired by, not stolen from, dear one. Besides, he didn't stab you with Hyourinmaru, unless you count stabbing your heart...

Hitsugaya: In other words, I _really_ won't like what happens in the upcoming chapters.

Satscout: "The darkest hour is just before the dawn." Haven't you heard that?

Hitsugaya: *eye twitching faster*


	5. Friends and Lovers

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

"So you are looking for a way into Hueco Mundo and thought I could help?" Urahara blew on his cup of tea before sipping it slowly.

"I have to find her," Hitsugaya replied, "and I need to find a way in without announcing my arrival."

"Don't you think it would be wise to take someone with you?" Urahara glanced casually over.

"I'm going alone. This is personal business." Hitsugaya wore a determined look. "_She_ didn't go on her own."

"She certainly came on her own once, or so the story is told." Urahara took another sip and sat his cup down. "And obviously they see her presence – and her absence – as Soul Society business."

"She's not a traitor, if that's what you're asking," Hitsugaya said wearily. "And wouldn't your helping me be seen as a violation of Soul Society's orders?"

"Such 'violations' are the reason why I now reside 'here'," Urahara replied with a smile. "Come."

They descended into the chamber beneath the shop. It appeared that Urahara had been suspecting a need, as two great beams suspended in two rocks were positioned as Hitsugaya had been told about Kurosaki Ichigo's rescue mission. "I see you recognize the 'Garganta', the Arrancar portal," Urahara said. "When I open the portal, head toward the darkness, and you will eventually reach Hueco Mundo. But beware – you cannot hide your reiatsu there as effectively as you can here. Don't expect them to be surprised."

"Just do it." Hitsugaya's face had a look of steel. "Thank you for your help. Let's go."

Urahara began the incantation, and the portal opened. Hitsugaya ran down the bleak corridor that opened before him. _I don't want to think how Sharon must have felt coming through this way._ He disappeared into the blackness.

* * *

Sharon wasn't pouting, not exactly. She _was_ a bit upset, having been abducted and all.

And not one word from that zanpakutou either.

"Excuse me, aren't you going to at least introduce yourself?" She frowned at the masked, cloaked figure beside her. "If you're going to take me somewhere and make me sit and wait, I think I ought to know who you are."

The masked face turned towards her. "Why do you want to know? Isn't it enough that I brought you here?"

Sharon rolled her eyes. "Such inanity. This is boring. If I had the faintest idea where we are – or how to get back to where I was – I would ditch you right here and right now. Unfortunately, the only guess I have to the 'here' is that funky Hueco Mundo place I keep hearing about, which means the 'how' is pretty much out of my reach."

"It wasn't, once." He stared straight ahead.

"And I wasn't coherent then either. Look, what are we waiting for, anyway? I'm –"

Just then Ichimaru Gin slid around the corner into view.

Sharon's eyes narrowed. "I seem to remember wanting to carve you. What do you want now?"

A raised eyebrow. "Well, and isn' it a pleasure t' see ya agin. I do hope ya'll stay a bit longer this time…"

"Fat chance, buddy. When do I go home?"

"'Home'? Ya mean back to Soul Society, or to see yer son?" The plastic smile never left Gin's face.

Sharon's cold, hard tone almost frosted the air. "Home for me, now, is where I belong – with the one I want to be with. Who happens to live in Soul Society, yes. I seem to remember telling you what you can do with your ideas for my son."

"Now, now, no need ta get so upset on me. We ain't touched him, and don' have reason ta, as long as ya hear him out."

"And why would I want to hear anyone out who has anything to do with _you_?" Sharon crossed her arms.

"Because _I_ have something to do with _you_." Aizen Sousuke seemed to command the space around him. The masked figure knelt before him. "I did my part, Aizen-sama. I brought Hyourinmaru's mate. What do we need to do next?"

"Whoa, people. What the flipping heck is going on here? I'm human, he's dragon, remember? If you're looking for the other dragon, well, she hasn't exactly been talking lately and I can't make her." Sharon studied Aizen's face carefully. "Hey, aren't you the creep who hurt Toshiro's friend? She really cares about you."

"My, what a mouth she has," Ichimaru oozed. "She oughta be taught some manners."

"More than enough time for that later. Right now, I have a bargain to settle. Kusaka," Aizen turned to the masked figure. "Please show Sharon your face."

"Yes, Aizen-sama." Kusaka removed his mask. Sharon's eyes grew wide. _That guy… Hyourinmaru showed us… the one Toshiro was so upset about… the one with the other Hyourinmaru._ She snapped out of her reverie. "Wait just a minute. I thought – I mean, Toshiro said you were – but, you're here, so you can't be – weren't you supposed to be dead?"

"Kusaka Soujirou. Once a loyal soldier for Soul Society, killed by one Hitsugaya Toshiro because they couldn't bear to have two of us with the same sword. Hyourinmaru is _mine_. And now his mate will be mine too." Kusaka's eyes glowed with a feral stare. "And maybe her vessel as well."

"Not if I have anything to say about it. What on earth are you people thinking?" Sharon was really angry now. "Hyourinmaru – the _real_ Hyourinmaru – is with Toshiro, and neither of them will put up with this. What makes you think Scout – I mean, Oshidamaru. What makes you think she will agree to any of this?"

"You will agree, I think." Aizen gently loosed his zanpakutou from its sheath. "Don't you think so, Hitsugaya?"

Sharon blinked. She could have sworn there had been some other guy there just now, but it was Toshiro, nodding at Aizen. "I really think we need to convince Oshidamaru to take sword form, Sharon. It's in everyone's best interest for you to be able to bear her as a real shinigami."

Sharon rubbed her eyes and shook her head once or twice. But there he was, talking to her here in this crazy place. "I thought we were supposed to be confined to quarters. Why are we here?"

"I thought we needed to get away for a while, have some time to ourselves, try to see if we can coax her out, don't you think?" He sounded awfully convincing. Sharon looked at Aizen, smiling down at her, then to Toshiro, then back to Aizen. That mesmerizing smile of his…

"Could I have some rest first? I – " Sharon broke into a huge yawn.

"Here. Let me show you where we'll be staying." Toshiro took her arm and led her away.

Ichimaru looked after them. "That went well, don'tcha think?"

Aizen merely shrugged. "She's just one piece of a larger puzzle. We need both dragons, and both dragons will come."

"But aren't they both here now?"

"Hyourinmaru is on his way." Aizen smiled benignly. "And then the fun will really begin."

* * *

Hitsugaya emerged in a wide expanse of sand lit by a weird dim moonlight. He kept his reiatsu tightly dampened and wrapped his cloak around him. _I think they called it Las Noches, Aizen's palace. I bet that's where they took her._ He pulled his hood over his face. It wouldn't be good for anyone here to notice he didn't have a mask. _There. I feel it._ Several minutes of slogging through sand brought him to where he could view the outer wall of the grand structure.

Hitsugaya sat. He was at a loss as to what to do next. _This is what I get for rushing off without some kind of plan._ He found a niche in the formless sand and tucked his cloak over him. He was soon fast asleep.

Thus when Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Rukia emerged within a hundred yards of him, they never saw where Hitsugaya was curled up in the sand.

* * *

AN: gomen, minna... low energy state the last few weeks, but will try to finish off this story soon. It's only meant to be another four or five chapters long, but will see how it goes.

Hitsugaya: *small vein bulging* Did you really have to have me so clueless?

Satscout: You're not clueless. You're just flustered. It's understandable.

Hitsugaya (through gritted teeth): I'm not that incompetent, you know. I _am_ a taichou.

Satscout: Who laid down his haori to follow the friend he loved - and the woman he loves. Don't worry, I believe in happy endings.

Hitsugaya: Just don't make me look more like an idiot.

Satscout: You're NOT an idiot. I swear it. You're just a little judgment impaired when it comes to Kusaka, that's all.

Hitsugaya (with arms folded across his chest): Just watch it.


	6. The Heart Finds Words

* * *

Chapter 6

* * *

"I'm telling you, this is too easy." Rukia pulled on Renji's sleeve. "What do you expect them to do, open the gate for us? And we don't even know if Hitsugaya-taichou is inside or not."

"We did it before, and we can do it again. We got Orihime-chan out, didn't we? So why not bust Sharon out, then find Hitsugaya and go home? Besides, if we find one of them, we'll eventually find the other." Renji shook his sleeve loose from Rukia's grasp. "And your brother said we only have two days. I'd rather not waste any time."

He didn't. Zabimaru made quick work of the wall, and they slipped inside.

In the silence that followed, Hitsugaya watched from a distance.

_Too easy doesn't begin to cover it. It's almost as if they were inviting us in._

He followed silently.

They never saw the wall re-forming behind them.

* * *

"There's something that bothers me about all this." Sharon was sipping on a cup of tea. Kusaka sat beside her, still cloaked in Aizen's illusion. "It's about the other fellow. Kusaka, I think. Haven't you ever wondered why Hyourinmaru split like that?"

Kusaka sat up a little. "Split? Why would Hyourinmaru split? We achieved the same power, that's all."

Sharon looked at him strangely. "Not according to Hyourinmaru's version of it. Toshiro, I really think… ach, this is hard to say."

Kusaka's eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Sharon let out a huge sigh. "You love too much." She continued hurriedly, "Not that I mind being on the receiving end! But that strong… emotion… well, an emotion that strong can cause all kinds of trouble."

"Care to elaborate?" _He "loves too much?" Hitsugaya with the heart of ice? Are we talking about the same Hitsugaya I knew?_

"Well, for instance, like the story Rangiku-san told me about how she found you, and you were practically killing yourself and your granny because you didn't know how to control your reiatsu, and she had to talk you into going to the Spiritual Arts Academy. Or how you come to Hinamori's defense all the time – it's obvious you see her as a sort of sister. And then there's this Kusaka guy."

"What about Kusaka?" He was intensely interested in what she had to say next.

"Well, I don't know how to put this delicately. You were so upset after what Hyourinmaru showed us, after all… and I know how you didn't want to talk about him or how he died and all."

"Go on." Kusaka-as-Hitsugaya tried to be nonchalant.

"He shouldn't have been there." Sharon was clearly uncomfortable at this point.

"What do you mean? We were friends, it's only natural that we should – "

"That's not the point. I mean, Kusaka shouldn't have been anywhere near where you were when you were trying to find Hyourinmaru. It got all confused. I know you know you have this incredibly huge reiatsu, so Hyourinmaru himself wouldn't have been a surprise. But what nobody could have anticipated is what would happen when someone you loved so much was there at the same time." She looked away. Her hands twisted in her lap.

Kusaka suddenly grew very still. "What exactly are you trying to say, Sharon?"

"I'm saying that he never got to find out what his own zanpakutou would have been like because Hyourinmaru was too big, the love was too big, it all got confused. Damn. I'm not saying this very well."

"Are you trying to say that Kusaka had no right to wield Hyourinmaru?" The tension made Kusaka's voice crack, just a little.

"I'm saying that if you hadn't forged such a strong bond of friendship with him, if you hadn't cared so much for him, he wouldn't have even seen Hyourinmaru when he came to you. When Hyourinmaru found you, he found two yous. He found the "you" you and the "you" that was the one you loved. And when you both called out to him, the part each called for is the part each got. You called for the strength to protect. He called for a power to obey him. And Hyourinmaru… split. It's as if the core of who Hyourinmaru is joined you, and his shadow joined Kusaka. And then the Central 46 interrupted and screwed everything up." Tears were coursing down Sharon's face. "Instead of trying to find out what happened and why, they decided someone had to die. That was incredibly stupid. They should never have killed Kusaka. They should have tried to understand instead."

Kusaka was dumbfounded. The idea had never once occurred to him that Hyourinmaru wasn't _his_ by right – and that he only had Hyourinmaru because of Hitsugaya? Absurd. Even more amazing was that she was actually _crying_ over him. She didn't even _know_ him. She was grieving his death.

"Damned Soul Society polyglot. I'm talking English and you're hearing Japanese and I can't begin to guess how much meaning has actually gotten through. Toshiro, I'm trying to say it's _not your fault._ You didn't kill Kusaka. You're acting like you need to atone for a crime you never committed. Letting someone into your heart isn't a crime either. Sure, you're more vulnerable where that person is concerned, but the benefits outweigh the risks. And when something happens to the person you love, you share the grief. Don't try to carry it all on your own. _I love you,_ Toshiro. Let me help you carry the grief. Don't shut me out." She reached to take Kusaka's hand in hers.

Kusaka shied back, as if her hand were a burning brand. This was too much. It made a lie of his life, of his death – of his need to get revenge, everything. Then he got angry. It was all Hitsugaya's fault, all of it. If he hadn't been Hitsugaya's friend, he would still be serving Soul Society. He would have a zanpakutou of his own, probably more powerful than Hyourinmaru. He would have risen in the ranks and achieved fame – if not for Hitsugaya Toshiro. And this, this _woman_ – daring to say such things to him. Even if she didn't realize he was who he was, she had no right.

"I'm not listening to any more of this." Kusaka left abruptly, making sure the door clicked shut tight behind him. He would let Aizen deal with the woman in his own time. _He_ would deal with Hitsugaya. And Hyourinmaru would be his alone.

* * *

_This place is a damned maze. I can't even tell where Abarai and Kuchiki got to._ Hitsugaya was carefully keeping his reiatsu dampened as much as possible as he followed corridors, seeking a way to the heart of the palace that was Los Noches.

A silvery voice giggled.

Hitsugaya spun around. Where was that coming from?

"To-saaan ~ ~ Mama says not to worry." It was almost like singing.

"Who's there?" Hitsugaya's eyes searched.

More giggles. "It's To-san's vessel. Mama says not to worry to you too."

_Vessel? What the hell?_ "Where are you? I can't see you."

"Of course not, silly. I don't have a vessel or form yet, and Mama doesn't want a form. She doesn't like the idea of being bound. And you have To-san there on your back."

_To-san? On my back? She means…_ "You mean Hyourinmaru?"

"Who else would I mean? My To-san. Mama said he'd like that better than calling him Papa so I said ok. Then she said 'stupid polyglot'." The voice giggled again. "But you'd better come. I think Mama's vessel is confused."

_She means Oshidamaru and Sharon. _"Can you show me where she is?" Hitsugaya was getting anxious.

"Sure, To-san's vessel. Just follow me ~ ~ " The voice glittered down one of the myriad hallways.

_Forget Abarai and Kuchiki. They'll find us eventually._ Hitsugaya raced after the silvery sound.

* * *

a/n: gomen minna... again... I promise we're almost done... it's just taken way too long to get back to this with life and illness getting in the way.


	7. Faces, and Facing Things

* * *

Chapter 7

* * *

Rukia and Renji wandered for what seemed like hours. They saw nobody – no guards, no Arrancar, no life. Just endless corridors and branching pathways.

"Renji."

"Hmm."

"This is beyond weird. The last time we were here, we met all kinds of resistance. They tried to stop us. Now – nothing. Do you think they _want_ us to try to rescue Sharon?"

Renji scowled. "I can't even begin to guess. There should have been enemies by now. Unless – we actually are here unnoticed?"

"Fat chance." Rukia shook her head. "I tell you, this was too easy. We – "

They abruptly found themselves in a huge empty room. To one side was a large chair, almost like a throne. It was elevated so as to give a commanding view. Several pillars held aloft the vaulting ceiling. Everything was white but dim, giving the desired monochrome effect additional starkness.

"What the hell?" Rukia's voice was suddenly very quiet.

Just then a figure stomped through a far door. It was wrapped in a cloak and wore a mask – and bore a sword whose hilt looked like –

"Hyourinmaru?!" Renji exclaimed in a whisper. "But how – "

"Damn Hitsugaya. Damn Soul Society. Damn woman. Damn them all. Damn it all. Hyourinmaru is _mine_. This is _my_ sword and no one can take him away from me." The figure stopped short several feet from Rukia and Renji. "And who the hell are you – Shinagami!" He whipped out his sword. "You can't have it! I'm not giving it up. You can't have Hyourinmaru!"

He rushed Renji. Hyourinmaru and Zabimaru clashed with a shower of sparks. "And who the hell are you?" Renji yelled. "Where is Hitsugaya-taichou?"

"Hitsugaya." The crazed man spat the word. "Hitsugaya who was my _friend_. Hitsugaya, the prodigy. Hitsugaya, the genius. Hitsugaya, the taichou. Hitsugaya, who has everything I ever wanted. Hitsugaya!" He was screaming as he struck, harder each time he said the name. Renji could hardly keep up with the flurry of blows.

Aizen entered, watching, and took his seat in the throne-like chair. He seemed vastly amused by the play before him. Ichimaru led Sharon, still scowling and refusing to take his hand, to stand at Aizen's feet. Rukia saw them first. "Sharon!"

"Rukia! What are you doing here?" She would have rushed to Rukia's side if Ichimaru's hand had not clamped her arm. "Leggo, idiot. I get the picture." She tore her arm away and stepped back in place.

Ichimaru glanced at Sharon's hair, then at Renji. He raised an eyebrow at Aizen, who then looked at Sharon, then at Renji.

"For the last flipping time, we are NOT related. I don't care what my hair looks like when it's messed up like this. What the hell is going on?" Sharon finally saw the battle. "Why is Toshiro fighting Renji like that?"

"Toshiro? But that's – " Rukia stopped short, her eyes wide. On the other side of the hall from them, Hitsugaya rushed in. He took in the scene at a glance. "Sharon!" She saw him – and the other "Toshiro" – and looked dumbfoundedly back and forth between them.

The silvery voice twinkled one last time in Hitsugaya's ear. "Told you Mama's vessel was confused." It then winked out with a giggle.

Then Kusaka saw Hitsugaya. He let out a screech and charged. Hitsugaya brought his blade up in defense. The air filled with swirling, glittering dust, like a fine powdered snow, as the blades clashed.

"This brings back memories!" The blows rained faster and faster.

"Show your face!" In a sweeping motion, Hitsugaya thrust the mask from his face. It shattered on the floor behind them. He leapt back, not wanting to believe what he saw. Kusaka.

"Hyourinmaru is _mine!_" There was no reasoning with him in this state. The fight intensified.

Sharon just stared. Now there were _two_ Toshiros fighting each other. What the hell?

_:Don't you think it's about time you put an end to this?:_ a voice intoned in her ear.

Her eyes grew wide. _And just where in hell have _you_ been? Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you've caused?_

_:Enough time for that later. For now, you need to stop them before they kill each other.:_ The voice fell suddenly silent.

"Toshiro!" Sharon yelled at the top of her lungs.

The figures fell back, both panting heavily. Both turned to look at her.

"Yes, let's put an end to this." Aizen looked down with that benign smile of his. "We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt just yet." He rested his head on one hand, looking for all the world as if he were enjoying a sporting match instead of a fight to the death. "Besides, you have to decide."

"Decide what?"

"Not what, who. At issue are the dragons and their offspring. You see, I found it quite interesting that your Oshidamaru was able to leave Hueco Mundo all by herself. And I find it even more interesting that she should have chosen to mate – not just anyone, but the most powerful ice type zanpakutou in all of Soul Society. The products of such a match would be unprecedented, and undoubtedly of such a power as to further my goals." Aizen's smile widened, just a notch. "But you have to decide who it's going to be."

"Get to the point, creep. I want to be with Toshiro." Sharon snarled at him.

"Easy, now. But you see two Toshiros, do you not?" He casually waved at the combatants. "You have to pick which one will be staying with you – which 'Toshiro' and which Hyourinmaru. But how to choose, hmmm? I dare say either would be eager to stay with _you_. So which one is the real Toshiro? Can you tell?"

Sharon's eyes glazed over a bit. She looked back and forth between the two men. To the eye, they were identical – silver hair, blue-green eyes, even identical swords with the four-pointed guard. All of a sudden she felt very confused.

"I… what the hell? Does this mean one of them is… oh…" Two large tears rolled down her cheeks. "Oh no. This must be what Hyourinmaru saw…" The room fell silent at that, but for the breathing of the combatants. They eyed each other, then her.

Everyone heard and saw what happened next. A silvery giggle filled the air. A young girl, maybe half Hitsugaya's height, perched on the dais on which Aizen's chair sat. She had wavy silver hair, glowing emerald eyes, and – as Hitsugaya recognized – wore an outfit all in white, with pert white bows in front and back and short skirt but white slippers, that closely resembled the one he had seen on "Scout" when he first met Oshidamaru. She sat with her knees drawn to her face and a lopsided, enchanting grin.

She waved at the Hitsugayas. "Hi, To-saaaaan ~ ~ ~ !" she called out musically.

Rukia's jaw dropped. Renji scratched his head. Sharon's face got very, very red. She understood instantly what this… girl… was implying. And she suddenly understood _exactly_ why Oshidamaru had gone to ground – and why she decided to show up again now.

Anger filled Sharon's voice as she called out. "Dragons, front and center, _now!_" Even the Hyourinmarus dared not defy that voice. It held the command of motherhood in it. Both Hyourinmarus filled the room, looking for all the world like giant twin bookends behind each apparent Hitsugaya. The girl leaped down to sit between them. And the other –

"You too, Scout. It's about time we settled this." Oshidamaru made her appearance, not as a dragon – the other two filled the room already – but in the form she had worn for years before. Red hair pulled up in a ponytail was bound in front with a head band with a glowing jade in its center. A pale violet pearl was bound at her throat with an indigo ribbon. The uniform she wore, copied unashamedly from the Sailor Moon anime series, had an indigo collar and skirt, and giant midnight blue bows in front and back. At the center of the front bow was an opal, easily the size of a human fist. Indigo boots to the knee completed the outfit. She stood with her arms crossed and head tilted, looking Sharon straight in the eye.

"Oh Mama, she's nothing like that poem you told me about. You know, 'when she's slapped she never slaps back, little Miss Sharon Lee'? She looks awfully ready to slap back now." The girl was giggling again.

A cold rage to rival Hitsugaya's worst weighed down on everyone present.

Sharon's eyes locked on Scout's as she asked the girl, "And when exactly did your mama tell you about that?" Her eyes were filled with flame. "Years of abuse my grandmother commemorated in that poem. No matter what anybody did to me, whether physical, psychological, emotional, sexual abuse, I never 'slapped back'. I never defended myself. I _let them do it all._ Even when I was forbidden to discuss 'family matters', especially with a doctor. Even when I was the outcast. Even when I was threatened, punished, blackmailed, first by my family and then by my husband. I always had to take the 'high road' – it was the only way I could live with myself. I couldn't bring myself to strike back because that would take me down to their level. But it meant enduring the horrors of not-quite-enough – not quite enough abuse to be able to report it, not quite enough torment to be able to cry for help, and not quite enough physical evidence to be able to prove _anything_ should I dare accuse anyone. An untenable situation at best, eternal torment at worst. And I never once 'slapped back'. Well, that's about to change."

Sharon leaned back, and with as much weight and leverage as she could gather, slapped Scout resoundingly across the face with her right hand. The force knocked her physically backwards and left a glaring red mark on her cheek. The sound echoed for a few moments in the chamber, then fell silent.

Aizen raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not going to say I'm not grateful. If it weren't for you – if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have found Toshiro. I… can't thank you enough for that." Sharon's voice was breaking. "But you had _no right_ telling anyone about that. You had no right going off and having a child without telling me what was going on. And you had _no damned right_ disappearing without a word and causing so much trouble with so many people." Fresh tears were coursing down Sharon's face. "Look, we need you. _I_ need you. And obviously if Hyourinmaru is ever to be whole again, _he_ needs you. If you have any idea whatsoever what's been going on, you will see what needs to happen next."

Scout's jaw hung open. She closed it, deliberately. She nodded then, once.

"What was sundered and undone

Shall be whole, the two made one."

With that, she resolved into the form of a sword. A simple oval guard separated a hilt bound in indigo from a finely crafted blade.

"Idiot," Sharon mumbled. "Can't even get the movie quote right. Hey Toshiro," she yelled out. "Remind me when we get back to talk to Mayuri-san's people about setting up a DVD player in our quarters. There are some movies I want us to see, and the first one is _The Dark Crystal_."

Hitsugaya stared. _Our quarters? _Our_ quarters?_

"I see your movie quote and raise you a Bible verse. Ephesians 2:14: For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility."

Sharon reached up, and with both hands on the hilt, drove the sword into the floor at her feet.

Rumbling filled the entire hall.

* * *

Satscout: eeeeeeek. You mean I've let this story gather dust since February?!

Hitsugaya: Your own fault... I mean really... being sick isn't much of an excuse.

Satscout: But you have to admit, I'm really grateful - probably for the first time - for a filler arc.

Hitsugaya: *raised eyebrow* And why, pray tell?

Satscout: Inspiration, my dear. They're giving me what I need for chapter 8. Yummy.... how can one guy be so icy and so hot at the same time...

Hitsugaya: *blushing deep red* Cut that out.

Satscout: *laughing* For once, I'm actually not talking about _you_. You'll see.


	8. Two Become One

Chapter 8

* * *

Hitsugaya didn't care about anything anymore. Kusaka didn't matter. Aizen didn't matter. Even Hyourinmaru didn't matter – almost. Except the power being raised was driving him – them? – crazy. Both Hyourinmarus rose, writhing, keening.

He wanted to go to Sharon but he couldn't. Not the couldn't of lack of will but of binding. He could back away from her but he couldn't cut through the rall of reiatsu that was being raised.

He felt like cursing Unohana for training her a little too well.

Suddenly, a tendril of power shot out and wrapped itself around him. He couldn't see what was going on. His anger flared –

And then he understood what she was trying to do, and how, and why.

Hitsugaya called out. "SOUTEN NI ZASE!"

_Bless that Unohana for training her so well._

An icy blue-white blur shot toward the small figure on the other side of the hall that was Kusaka. A dusky purple blur, a little too late, trailed behind.

And a silver streak hit Hitsugaya from the side like a speeding train. He found himself blasted in the opposite direction the dragons had gone. Still in the grip of that vine of reiatsu, he crumpled in a heap with a smaller, perfect, beautiful, silver dragon, so like her parents, wrapped around him, shielding him.

The world erupted in a blaze of white hot light.

_:Fusion reactions do let off a lot of energy, don't they?:_

For the first time, she had spoken directly to Hitsugaya. While the hall, perhaps the whole palace, was crumbling around them, that… that… infuriating _dragon_ had the calm, wry mind-voice of a lady leisurely sipping her tea.

Aizen and his dais and everything on it were pushed back in rubble. Renji and Rukia would have quite a story to tell when they got back.

Kusaka wasn't going to be anywhere. He was consumed by the blast.

She had known who was who, not with eyes and not even with heart. The real Hitsugaya was the one who loved her and came for her. The other cared about gaining Hyourinmaru.

To one, the power to protect. The other, the power to compel.

No longer.

There was no longer another wielder for Hyourinmaru. And there was no longer "another" Hyourinmaru.

Hitsugaya pushed gently at… his? Hyourimaru's? their?... daughter. Pushed gently, then a little more firmly, as he struggled to sit up. Slowly, the silver coils relaxed, then let go altogether. She shivered loose, then shimmered, then returned to the little girl form he had seen first. She was so delicate and so strong all at once. She was also quite unconscious. Hitsugaya gained his feet, then gently picked her up and approached the tall figure that stood in the ruin.

Stood?

For it was a human figure standing there now, where dragon had conquered dragon and heart, body, and soul that were divided became whole. He was tall, handsome, a collar of ice about his neck, a trailing… tail?... of ice just past his feet, feet that seemed sometimes like slender claws. His outer robe was a shade of dusky lavender not much different from the Kusaka-dragon, clasped just below the opening of the icy collar with a chain. And as Hitsugaya approached closer, he saw the long silky hair flowing like a frozen waterfall down his back. He could see the gray eyes, like an overcast sky heavy with unshed rain, gazing at him from that face, marked with an X-shaped scar crossing from temple to just below the cheekbone on either side. The skin was pale but the scar was white ice.

"Hyourinmaru?"

Hitsugaya was trying to process what had happened.

Another figure came from behind him. She was no longer in the sailor uniform, but in a kimono a deep, rich indigo with a delicate silver crane pattern. She crossed over to Hyourinmaru and raised a gentle hand to one cheek. Hitsugaya was close enough by now to see the tears glistening in her eyes. They did not need to speak. Not that any words could have been enough at that moment. Hyourinmaru cupped her cheek with one hand and lifted her face to his while his other arm wrapped around her.

"Not to interrupt the moment, folks, but I think we had better get out of here while we have the chance."

Of course. Sharon was trying to brush off her once blue robe. Hitsugaya just smiled. He cradled the girl and went to Sharon's side. He stood up straighter. For once he didn't mind being the shortest person in the group… He was surrounded by the people he loved and who loved him.

"Before Aizen has the chance to spoil the happy little family reunion, do you have any ideas on how to get out of here?" Renji and Rukia, a little worse for wear, came up to them.

Hyourinmaru and his bride – for a bride she was – smiled back at them all. "A little focus is all we need, and I think it will be better than the last time," she crooned. Then she looked back up at her lover, and he took the invitation gladly. As their lips met, a crack opened. But it was not a raw and ragged hole as much as a slit, like a peeking under covers. A path formed before them, wide and sure.

Oshidamaru? Scout? Whatever she would eventually call herself, she was bride, and mother. She reached over to stroke the girl's cheek. As she brushed a lock of silver hair out of the child's face, she murmured "Her name. Her name is Ice Song, just so you know. A song out of silence, born in ice and night."

"We go." Hyourinmaru's rich, deep voice held a finality in it that brooked no discussion. Even if anyone there had dared, they could not have held back that group from crossing the border out of Hueco Mundo, and taking the path home.


	9. To Know, And Be Known

Chapter 9

* * *

It was like a dream fading. The further they got away from Hueco Mundo, the more the figures of the zanpakuto faded, all three of them, until they stepped through to Soul Society. They arrived right outside the door to Hitsugaya's quarters. How ironic, to have returned to where the trouble began. Or perhaps they had planned it that way.

Ice Song had faded in Hitsugaya's arms. He guessed she was safe with her parents now.

What remained and was real, solid, was the new sword Sharon carried. She had no belt or sheath, just a blade, almost as long and slender as Hitsugaya's own. Only the hilt and grip showed the difference. The indigo didn't really reflect the light, but rather looked as if a piece of night sky were wrapped around the hilt.

* * *

"Don't forget an Internet hookup. There are sooooo many sites I want to check out… and I want to beta the polyglot filter so I can share the English sites with you. And wouldn't it be totally awesome if we could do email? I could pop you little love notes on clinic break – "

"Sharon." Hitsugaya was tired, but it was a happy kind of tired. They had been quite busy since their return; the entire report had been presented by them both at a full Captain's meeting, complete with the display of Oshidamaru's new sword form and her shikai glaive form… and Sharon had taken advantage of the opportunity to press the issue about the language barriers. "I really think all of that can wait, don't you? There's something I'd like to find out first."

Sharon reddened slightly. "I didn't know."

"I know you didn't know. I'm not blaming you. But if _they_ had a daughter… what does that mean for her? A zanpakutou is supposed to be the manifestation of a person's soul. Whose soul does Ice Song belong to?" He was still having a bit of a time trying to remember to enunciate her name in English.

"Silly mama. Silly To-san." The silvery voice chimed in behind them. Ice Song ran up to Sharon, wrapping her arms around her waist, then turned to Hitsugaya and held him tight about the neck. He reflexively held the child in his arms. She squirmed a minute, then suddenly relaxed in his embrace. "To-san…" she mumbled, burying her face in his shoulder.

Sharon couldn't help smiling. "Looks like she's a real daddy's girl to me."

"Urusei" was all Hitsugaya mumbled back at her. He really didn't like children… but this felt good. Really good. Really _right_. Like a part of himself had been missing and he didn't know it until now.

She waved her little finger at him. "And daddy's girl has him wrapped around her little finger. Good and tight." Sharon dogded as he tried to swipe her, quite ineffectively as he still had one arm wrapped around Ice Song, and she had her arms still twined around his neck. "Are you _their_ daughter, or _our_ daughter?" Hitsugaya murmured into Ice Song's ear. "Yes." She giggled. He held her tight for another moment before she winked out.

"I guess there's really only one way to find out more about her. She seems to have inherited Scout's, um, independent spirit… and obviously has a will of her own…" Sharon blushed hotly at this.

This time Hitsugaya grabbed Sharon and held _her_ tight. "I thought you didn't want to be a mother again."

"So Andrew will have a half sister. Sort of. It won't kill him. By the time he even finds out about her it will be far too late. _If_ he finds out about her. I don't care how much he hates girls…" Hitsugaya silenced her rather effectively the best way he knew how. By the time they released the kiss, Sharon had her head nuzzled in his shoulder. "Annwyl… Toshiro-love… I only have one question left."

Hitsugaya was already running his fingers through her hair and loosening the front of her outfit. "Hmmm?" was all he said.

"Why wouldn't you tell me about Kusaka?"

He stopped with his hand on her chest. He had worked his way open to the place where the seal had been, the seal of the sign of the Tenth, the daffodil, he had placed in an attempt to bind Oshidamaru and spare her so much pain.

"I didn't have the words. I still don't." His voice was quiet and low. "You found the words for me."

"I'm better at borrowing other people's words," she answered. "Like 'thank you for the joy you bring to my table.' Or 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I wish I could be-holding you.' Besides, if anything, it was your heart that got you in all this trouble. First you loved Kusaka too much, then you loved me. What are we going to do with you and all that love?"

Hitsugaya just smiled. "Share it with you – and our daughter."

A silvery giggle faded into the distance. The two zanpakutou leaned against the wall, hilts touching. And in a vase, two fresh daffodils with stems crossed glowed in the soft light.

* * *

_Satscout, chuckling: Told you I'd finally write an ending for this. If this were OneManga, I could use the "That's it, boys and girls" line..._

_Hitsugaya, frowning: About damn time. I was beginning to wonder what you had in mind._

_Satscout: My mind kept changing. For the longest time, all I could see was the explosion. I had to figure out what happened around it._

_Hitsugaya, frowning but slightly less: And you left me wrapped around the little finger of a little girl._

_Satscout, with a grin: I so wish your mangaka would make you a father. I would just love to see it._

_Hitsugaya, exasperated: Blatant plagiarism, woman. You stole Hyourinmaru from the Zanpakuto Rebellion filler arc._

_Satscout, with a sigh: But it's sooo much easier to use a human Hyourinmaru the readers may have actually seen before._

_Hitsugaya: Cheater._

_Satscout: And he's sooo handsome._

_Hitsugaya: And?_

_Satscout: And what? So he's handsome. You're more handsome._

_Hitsugaya, reddening: Urusei._


End file.
